Salazar Class
A radically modified Constitution Class Refit, the Salazar entered service after the Federation witnessed (as did other powers of the galaxy) the awesome destructive power of Interstellar Pacification Force Type CT-II Torpedo Cruisers against the worlds of the Mirak Star League during the invasion and destruction of that minor power in 2289. Development The genus of the Torpedo Cruiser concept within Starfleet was a series of studies into planetary assaults during the 2230s. With tensions ever rising with the Klingon Empire, thoughts turned to how the worlds occupied by Klingon forces, or even Klingon colonies themselves could be attacked, subdued and occupied. The Photon Torpedo was a fearsome weapon when employed in the role of planetary bombardment, the problem arose in mounting sufficient tubes to be able to saturate ground defences. Attitudes in the Federation around that time swiftly changed to that of defence and trying to placate the Klingon Empire, and soon these studies on planetary bombardment were forgotten. The next time serious thought was given to planetary assaults was during the Organian Conflict. Towards the end of the war, it was found by all warring powers, Federation included, that there simply weren't enough Capital Ships to serve in heavy strike fleets and to assault occupied worlds. Halting to assault every single occupied world was slow and tactically unsound, and without the firepower of a Capital Ship these assaults would drag on into slow, costly sieges. Within Starfleet, a study was made to determine whether a Cruiser-hulled ship mounting a Capital Ship class Secondary Weapons array was feasible, tactically and economically sound. As this study was reaching a conclusion, the situation changed dramatically. In 2289 the Organians returned, bringing with them the Interstellar Concordium and their mighty Interstellar Pacification Force. All the galaxy was at war, and the Organians decided that only the military might of the Concordium could restore peace. One of the types of vessel employed by the Interstellar Pacification Force was a Torpedo Cruiser, specifically developed to besiege enemy worlds prior to a ground assault. These Type CT-II Torpedo Cruisers were extremely effective in their role; their most infamous assault being that upon the worlds of the Mirak Star League in late 2289. A small fleet of Torpedo CruiserTorpedo Cruisers laid waste to Miras, the Mirak homeworld, and their principle naval base on the planet of Annwyn. So fierce was their bombardment that their weaponry caused unstable radioactive isotopes to form in the upper atmosphere of the planet Miras. The fallout formed huge oceans of radioactive material. Most of the population died in a few hours. Miras was rendered uninhabitable for decades if not centuries to come. Whilst appalling, Starfleet tacticians could not help but look on these attacks with interest. A Torpedo Cruiser was a valid concept, and was a vital part of waging war against a deeply entrenched enemy. Plans were drawn up for a Federation equivalent to the Type CT-II. The most suitable hull for use as a starting point was the Constitution Class Refit. Starting with the basic Heavy Cruiser design, a torpedo roll-bar similar to that employed on the Ulysses Class Dreadnought was added, the main difference being dual torpedo launcher pods, each mounting a pair of the latest Mark VII Photon Torpedo Tubes. Structural reinforcement was required, along with significantly more power being required in the structural integrity fields. This lead to an uprating of the SSWR-XVI warp reactor, causing significant reductions in expected lifespan. This wasn't expected to be a problem however, given the specialised nature of the new class. Finally, the bulky torpedo roll-bar and associated launcher pods caused changes in the warp field dynamics. The solution to this was somewhat radical. The entire secondary hull was inverted, the decks internally being inverted also so as to remain orientated properly to the rest of the ship. This caused a number of issues, especially with the recovery of Shuttlecraft (eventually solved with the use of a trapeze system). The warp nacelles remained unchanged, but were mounted on specially designed curved pylons, again to help address the warp dynamics caused by the large torpedo roll-bar. The resulting vessel was christened the Salazar Class, and mounted a formidable six Mark VII Photon Torpedo Tubes. The Primary Weapons array was small, only a pair of Type B Phaser Emitters for close in defence. Internally, new targeting systems and sensors allowed the firing of Photon Torpedoes at ranges previously considered inefficient, although this rendered their targeting solutions too slow to adapt to fast moving, close range targets. In 2292, just before the outbreak of the General War, the Salazar Class was upgraded with a pair of Mark VII-B Proximity Burst Photon Torpedo Tubes, replacing her conventional neck-mounted pair. These new torpedoes were designed for hunting cloaked ships. Rather than targeting an object, they targeted an area, and upon reaching the target coordinates, would explode into a short-ranged shockwave. These shockwaves, whilst unlikely to be powerful enough to destroy even a cloaked vessel, would cause an "energy flash", temporarily revealing the cloaked ship (or more precisely the gap where it should be) on sensors. They would also likely damage the sensitive Cloaking Device itself, causing the vessel to decloak. Plasma-Detecting Mark VI-S Probes were also issued to Salazar Class ships at that time. Operational History Entering service towards the end of 2290, the first duty the new Salazar Class was assigned to was rather outside her design mandate. She was employed to bombard ISC stations, particularly Starbases, from outside their weapons range. These large stationary targets presented no difficulties for the targeting systems on the Salazar Class, despite not being the planetary targets she was designed for use against. During the Federation offensive into the Galactic Fringe in 2292 during the General War, the Salazar was again employed to assault ISC installations, although her torpedoes were occasionally turned on the few ISC colonies in the area. Even her new Mark VII-B Proximity Burst Photon Torpedo Tubes came in useful, despite the ISC did not use Cloaking Devices; Interstellar Pacification Force Scout Frigates would often use the immense nebulae in the Galactic Fringe to hide from Federation scans. Using similar tactics to those designed to be employed against cloaked Klingon and Romulan ships, the Salazar Class Torpedo Cruisers serving with the Federation Prime Fleet would flush the smaller vessels out. Apocrypha Never seeing combat use against the planets of the powers she was designed for use against, or against the cloaked ships she was retrofitted to combat, the Salazar was never the less an important tool in the Federation offensive in the Galactic Fringe and in the subsequent Andromeda Strike. With the end of the General War in the August of 2292, and the signing of the Khitomer Accords in 2293, the Constitution Class Refit and all her variants were retired. In the case of the Salazar, this lead to a very short lifespan, but she was never designed for long-term service, merely being the means to an end during wartime. Advances in weapons technology meant that shockwave-burst settings, as well as plasma tracking functions, could be added to conventional Photon Torpedoes, and so the specialised Mark VII-B fell out of favour by 2300. Specifications * Class: 'Torpedo Cruiser * 'Hull Type Designation: '''FCT * '''Length: 296m * Crew: 500 * Warp Nacelles: '''2 * '''Maximum Sublight Speed: 3750 k/s (37.5 Mk/s) * Cruise Warp Factor Speed: wf 7.4 * Safe Maximum Warp Factor Speed: wf 9.1 * Hull Rating: '250 HSF * 'Shield Rating: 523 FSP * Sensor Rating: 1000 SRU * Armament and Equipment: ** Primary *** 2 × Type B Phaser Emitter ** Secondary *** 4 × Mark VII Photon Torpedo Tube *** 2 × Mark VII-B Proximity Burst Photon Torpedo Tube ** Heavy *** None ** Advanced *** None ** Equipment *** Tractor Beam Emitter *** Mark VI-S Probes *** 2 × Type 2 Shuttlecraft Ships in Service (2292) USS Salazar (NCC-1134) USS Xerxes (NCC-1135) USS Merrimac (NCC-1136) USS Veringtorix (NCC-1137) USS Sitting Bull (NCC-1138) USS Hiawatha (NCC-1139) USS Iroquois (NCC-1140) USS Navajo (NCC-1141) USS Seminole (NCC-1142) USS Cherokee (NCC-1143) USS Cheyenne (NCC-1144) USS Shawnee (NCC-1145) USS Chicotaw (NCC-1146) USS Sioux (NCC-1147) USS Carib (NCC-1148) USS Apache (NCC-1149) USS Cree (NCC-1150) USS Toledo (NCC-1151) USS Barcelona (NCC-1152) USS Trebuchet (NCC-1153) USS Bombard (NCC-1154) USS Culverin (NCC-1155) USS Serpentine (NCC-1156) USS Ballista (NCC-1157) USS Onager (NCC-1158) Category:Federation Vessels Category:Cruisers Category:Torpedo Cruisers